The 13th Squad's New Seated Officer
by Alais Kingsleigh
Summary: <html><head></head>Kaoru died at the hands of Enishi. Kenshin died a few years later, her loss and a love unfulfilled stained his soul. His heart searched for her even when he lost his memory of her. A series of inter-connected bite-sized one-shots.</html>
1. The Search

Summary: Kaoru died at the hands of Enishi. Kenshin died a few years later, her loss and a love unfulfilled stained his soul. His heart searched for her even when he lost his memory of her. A collection of interconnected one-shots.

A/N: This storyline occurred after Aizen's defeat but unlike in the canon, Ichigo will no longer come into the picture and the other disturbances will not come upon Seireitei in the next few centuries and as such Soul Society was once again in relative peace, with an exception of a few hollow and arrancar attacks. The newly appointed Lieutenant of the 13th Squad, Rukia Kuchiki and everyone else in Seireitei are settling in on their new lives. A collection of light hearted inter-connecting one-shots. This work was inspired by a story from this site, "**Fight One: To Battle**" by **Anne Camp aka obi-quiet**. I hope I do justice to her work.

**The 13****th**** Squad's New Seated Officer**

When someone dies, their soul is stripped of the memories of their previous life. This removes their pain, their attachment, their prejudice and biases. This act of purification is called konso. This is the way of the spiritual realm. Thus, it should come as no surprise that almost all of the souls that pass through the gates of Soul Society have no knowledge of their previous lives. Souls may change and look different but their essence remains the same. The feeling of love, devotion and loyalty can overwhelm the loss of memory for a rare few.

**The Search**

He didn't know who she is to him, he didn't know why he's searching or how she looks like and why he's searching but he did nevertheless. The need to look for her sprung up on him the moment he woke up in the 80th District of West Rukongai. The lower districts of Rukongai, it's every man for himself and Kenshin had to fight then but only in defense. He had yet to actually fight someone in Rukongai as he easily defeats them without even drawing his sword. He just had to flare his reiatsu a little if someone gets too much. After learning that he is not one to trifle with, people stayed away. There were times when he felt lonely and sad. But he knew once he finds her, he won't be lonely again. She'll be his friend and he will stay by her side.

For over a hundred years, he searched for her in all the 320 districts of Rukongai but could not find her. He looked for her through every nook and cranny. He searched every street, forests and even water bodies of Rukongai, from the lair of gangsters and mob and even to the brothel houses. It was an extensive search, given that Soul Society is bigger than the living realm.

He was relieved that she had not turned to the trade of selling her flesh. But he knew that even if she had, it would not change his feeling of wanting to stay by her side. To be her companion and her friend, like he knew she had been to him. It was just that, she was so pure, that if she did that, he knew it would destroy her.

After a century and a half of looking for her, he then turned his attention to Seireitei. But the only way he could to get there was to attend the Shinōreijutsuin and become a shinigami. His determination to find her had not been hampered by the years that passed.

Eventually he finished with the Academy, barely passed the minimum requirements to be a member of the Gotei 13. Thus, he found himself in the worst place someone who vowed not to kill could land, the 11th Squad.


	2. Zaraki's Bane

**Zaraki's Bane**

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: Hi Anne Camp aka obi-quiet, those little segments from before should have been separate inter-connected one-shot chapters. I realized clumping them together had not been very organized so to make it less confusing, I split them up.

It all began when Kenpachi Zaraki went for a routine check of the new recruits. This year's crop looked uninteresting. They were the usual blood thirsty savage bunch his squad usually attracts, all except for one. He merely looked 'bored', as if he was just passing by and he happened to come upon this place. He glared at the new recruit and went to stand before him, the recruit did not shrink under his gaze like most green shinigami would in his presence but instead he met it, but he did not seek to challenge his captain as was usual to those who have the courage to meet his glance. Then he felt it, a strong reiatsu, controlled and hiding underneath the man's small stature. Zaraki drew his sword and attacked the recruit. The latter also drew his sword but merely deflected his captain's attack. The bigger man swung his sword once more and tried to get the smaller man to counter his attack but the new recruit was already back in his place with a speed that would put most seated officers in Seireitei to shame.

Bored, bored Zaraki whose life became monotonous once more once Aizen was defeated was out of his wits with boredom. He latched onto the idea of this recruit's potential and was only frustrated when the new recruit, whose name he later learned to be Kenshin Himura, refused to fight. The men from his squad soon learned that Kenshin is not one to easily mess with and as such after a few months, it was only Ikakku and Zaraki Taichou who remained persistent in challenging him to fight. He would always deflect their attacks but they still have yet to make him release his zanpaktou.

It would have been different had he been afraid to fight because he's weak, like those lily livered bunch of shit from the 4th Squad but he was just like Ichigo, it seemed he was afraid to fight because he didn't want to hurt anyone.

All of this was infuriating Zaraki.


	3. Rukia's Struggles

**Rukia's Struggles**

Rukia felt her day was already long enough as it is.

"I'm the better third seat to Kuchiki Fukotaichou." Sentaro claimed. "No, I am." Kiyone contradicted. Rukia sighed as the two had another shouting match. She had recently been promoted as the lieutenant of her squad. Her captain was sick once again and she was finishing the paperwork. 'One of these days, we really have to fill the fourth seat and get me an assistant who won't bother me with arguments like these two do…' She sighed as she filed more paper works. '…And someone to get these memorandums signed."

Her day consisted of somehow routine activities. She had to oversee the training of the new recruits first thing in the morning. Check up on her captain who called in sick. Then, break up the fight between Kiyone and Sentaro. Had snack before working on her paper works. She went to see the training of the regular squad members before getting back on her paper works. Then, she had to break up another of Kiyone and Sentaro's fights. Afterwards, she had lunch before turning her attentions to the paper works of her captain that she can fill up.

All in all, she had been quite tired. The day was bad enough without a visit to the 11th Squad. She sighed. If she assigned an ordinary shinigami to get this signed, she knew it would end up with a visit to the 4th Squad because of those blood thirsty hooligans from that squad. They don't attack at one go, but they tend to attack continuously and if they don't get the person at that, they tend to attack simultaneously. Thus, she decided to go by herself.


	4. A Request for Transfer

**A Request for Transfer**

"No…" Zaraki told the red haired midget that he refused to sign the damned transfer sheet. "B but… Taichou…" Kenshin blinked. It's been three months since this young man was sent to his squad. He knocked out almost every single one of the foolish unseated shinigami from this squad who dared challenged him without so-much as removing his sword from its worn out sheath. He also managed to beat the almost all of the seated officers in the squad without even releasing his zanpaktou. 'But he still fucking refuses to fight…' Zaraki thought to himself in frustration. Just then, everyone in the squad felt a familiar lieutenant level reiatsu.

"Kuchiki…" Ikakku grinned and proceeded to jump out of the window. Zaraki knew that the younger Kuchiki would flare out her reiatsu just as soon as she steps foot inside the halls of the 11th Squad to save time. Ikakku jumped out of the window of the captain's office in excitement, while Yumichika ranted on about the beauty of battle. Zaraki went back to his paperworks (Yumichika does the majority but he still has to sign them and keep up to the bare minimum of the paper requirements, seeing that his position as captain enables him to have the opportunity to be sought after by powerful opponents or at least try to goad his fellow captains into a fight). He ignored Kenshin who stood looking at the ground. "Get back here Kuchiki!" Ikakku shouted as a girl shunpoed into Zaraki's office. She smiled at the occupants of the room before handing the paper to the captain who was obviously trying to tackle his work mindlessly in an effort to get them in before the deadline. "I need your signatures on these papers Zaraki Taichou." The small girl said as she practically shoved the file in front of Zaraki's nose. "You owe me that spar, Kuchiki!" Ikakku's voice got louder. He burst through the door and released his zanpaktou and poised to struck before being stopped by a suddenly fierce and golden eyed red haired shinigami whose zanpaktou was also released.


End file.
